SWEN 256 – Software Process & Project Management

Internal External

Formal Informal

Vertical Horizontal

Official Unofficial

Written Oral

Verbal Nonverbal

Open/Plain Paralingual

Sender Receiver

Channel / Noise

Technology? Meeting?

From Who? Context?

Interactive vs. Push vs. Pull Communication

Communication Channels

Communication Blockers

• Obvious (Language, Culture, Noisy surroundings, Distance between

parties)

• Less Obvious (Improper encoding of messages, Negativity, Hostility)

# Communication

Channels

𝑁 𝑁 − 1

2

N = the number

of people

Ideally …

You would never need them

Status would already be known

Communications would be instantaneous, up-to-date and

accurate

But life seldom matches the ideal

Daily scrum is a status meeting!

Sprint demos are status meetings!

Some Good Ideas:

Clear purpose and agenda announced beforehand

Good advanced notice / Time limit for the meeting

Regular but not too frequent

Assign deliverables/action items from the meeting w/ clear

time limits and distribution channels

Document and publish meeting minutes

Consider: culture, expectations, technology, methods,

established policies and procedures

Plan to Communicate: Who, when, what channel, and with

what frequency

Plan to Communicate: What

Type Examples

Project Documents Charter, PM Plan

Schedule/Resources WBS, Resource needs, Meeting Schedule, Work

Assignments (upcoming and current)

Status General Status, Impacts to/from other projects,

Performance Reports

Risks New Risks, Uncertainties, Realized Risks (problems)

Change Control Scope changes, CCB communications

As a PM or Team Member, communication is at the heart of

ethical and honest behavior and responsibility.

Try to understand the truth

o Be careful – your perception of the truth

may be false

o Seek the whole truth

Be truthful in all communications

o Communicate honestly, even if the project is in trouble

Create an environment where others tell the truth

o Telling the truth consistently lets project team members know that

only the truth is acceptable

Only accept assignments you are qualified to complete

o Lack of qualification presents a major risk to the project

Protect proprietary information, Report unethical behavior and

violations

Maintain an attitude of mutual cooperation

o Consider other projects and operational work when asking for resources

o Protect reputations of your team members as it relates to project work

o Ask what communication method is favored by your stakeholders/team

Be direct in dealing with conflict

o Openly discuss conflict with the other party, not behind their back

Continuously look for conflicts of interest and disclose them

o Treat the search and resolution of conflicts of interest like risks

Discuss

What needs to be

CommunicatedWhy Between Whom

Best

Communication

Method

Responsibility for

Sending

When / How

Often

“Expectation Management”

1. Analyze Stakeholders continuously

2. Create and Maintain a Stakeholder Register

3. Create and execute a Stakeholder Management

Strategy

ID Name TitleDepartment(s)

/Supervisor

Contact

Info

Impact

Major

Req’ts

Main Ex-

pectations

Influence

(1-5)

Role(s) in

Project

Responsibilities

in ProjectClassification

1

2

Stakeholder Register – Project Title: Project Number:

Keep Satisfied Manage Closely

Monitor (Min Effort) Keep Informed

Po

we

r

InterestLow High

Hig

h

Items that may need regular communication

o Schedule, Budget, Forecasts

o Risk Register, Issue Log, Change Log

o Items outside of the control of the project that affect the

project

Involves the application of Communication

Methods, Interpersonal Skills, and Management

Skills to manage expectations of people important

to the project.

Status Report – Where is the project is against the

performance measurement baseline?

Progress Report – What has been accomplished?

Trend Report – Is performance improving or deteriorating?

Forecasting Report – What are the predictions for the future?

Variance Report – How do the actual results compare to the

baselines?

Earned Value Report – Where is the project in pure Earned

Value/Cost Management terms?

Lessons Learned – What information could be useful for

future projects?

Collecting information, analyzing it, packaging it,

and sending it to Stakeholders.

o Level of Detail

o Appropriate communication channel

o Don’t let reports prevent you from managing the project

o Are measurements against a consistent baseline

o Truthful with accurate metrics

o All three sides of the project triangle plus quality

o Can and should be enhanced with forecasts

o Get feedback

o Use multiple types of reports

Communication concepts must be applied to both

stakeholder and team communication

Communication is not effective unless it is ethical and

honest

Stakeholder Expectation Management starts with

understanding each stakeholder, then concentrates on

deciding what communication is best for them

Make reports and metrics useful by viewing them from the

Stakeholder’s perspective